Rail-joint.



mvrrsn STATES PATENT ormos.

DANIEL O. ARMSTRONG AND WILLIAM P. FITZGERALD, OF PRINCESS ANNE, MARYLAND.

RAIL-JOINT.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 29, 1908.

Application filed January 22, 1908. Serial No. 412,206.

'keys disposed beneath the rails at the meeting ends thereof and so arranged as to elevate. the rails should the latter sag or become depressed at the joint from excessive wear or other causes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rail joint the fish plates of which are provided with depending extensions having transversely alined openings formed therein for the rece tion of the keys, there being threaded b0 ts'secured to the extensions for adjusting the wedge shaped-blocks to effect the elevating or alming of the rails. A still further object of the invention is generally to improve this class of devices so as to increase their utility, durability and ef fioiency as well as to reduce the cost of manufacture. I

Further ob'ects and advantages will appear in the following description, it being unerstood that various changes in form, pro-' portions and minor details of construction may be resorted to Within the scope of the I .ap ended claims.

n the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification: Figure I is a slde elevation of a rail jointconstructed in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

The improved rail alining device forming the subject matter of the present Invention is designed for attachment to the meeting ends ,of rail-way rails and by way of illustration is shown in connection with a rail way rail of the ordinary construction in which 5 and 6 designate the meeting ends of the rails mounted on the cross ties 7, in the usual manner.

The device consists of fish plates 8 and 9 which bear against the base of the rail and are provided with depending enlargements 10 having transverse y alined recesses 11 formed therein for the reception of co-acting actuating members 12 and 13. The members 1'2 and 13 are lubstantially wedge shaped and slidably mounted in the recesses 11 beneath the base of the rails at the meeting ends thereof'so' that by adjusting said members transversely of the rail the meeting ends thereof may be elevated so as to cause the same to be perfectly alined. Secured to the opposite or enlarged ends of the members 12 and 13 are longitudinal bars 14 having oppositely disposed openings 15 formed therein for the reception of bolts or similar fastening devices 16, the latter being secured to and extended outwardly from the enlargements 10 of the fish plates, as shown. The threaded ends of the bolts 16 extend through the openings 15 for engagement with suitable clamping nuts 17 so that by adjusting the nuts on the bolts the wedges may be adjusted to effeet the alinement of the meeting ends of the rails. It will thus be seen that should the meeting ends of the rails sink or become otherwise depressed the same may be alined by manipulating the adjusting nuts 17, in the manner before stated, so as to present a smooth unobstructed tread surface and thus prevent jarring of the car wheels with a consequent danger of derailment of the car as the latter passes over the joint.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that there is provided an extremely simple, inexpensive-and eflicient device admirably adapted for the attainment of the ends inview. a

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

In combination with meeting rails, a rail joint comprising opposed fish plates having perforated portions which depend below the bases of the rails, bolts located at the outer sides of the said depending portions at the opposite ends of the perforations therein, upper and lower wedges passin transversely through I the perforations in t e depending portions of said plates, the upper wedge hearing directly against the bases of the rails and the lower wed e bearing directly against the as our own, we have hereto a'llixed our signalower sides of t 1e perforations 1n the dependtures in the presence of two witnesses.

ing portions of the plates, each wedge having DANIEL C. ARMSTRONG.

a perforated bar portion for engagement with XVILLIAM P. FITZGERALD. the bolts and nut screws threaded upon the Witnesses:

said bolts. WM. J. NEALE,

In testimony that we claim the foregoing I C. E. DOYLE. 

